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 Coin-Operated Arcade Games Industry  |  By The Numbers                            

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This ongoing project to obtain, document and present interesting facts and figures about the coin-operated gaming
industry, along historic milestone dates for industry firsts, for both the press and general public was officially launched
on 04/21/05, and is continually updated.

If you have or know of some interesting facts about arcade games to contribute to this page, we would love to hear
about them, as there is very little public information available about basic industry metrics within the coin-operated
game community. Please email your contribution, along with the source of the fact (if known) to info@bmigaming.com   

Page Last Updated On : Sunday May 11, 2008

Coin Operated Arcade Game Machine Industry Statistics  |  USA
$8.1 Billion	Total amount of all coin-operated game industry gross proceeds (2004)
$500 Million	Total amount of all coin-operated arcade new game sales worldwide (2004)
1.8 Million	Total number of coin-operated games in operation (2004)    * Includes coin operated games plus video poker, cigarette and bulk vending machines
330,000	Total number of businesses having a coin-operated machine (2004)
330,000	Total number of businesses having a coin-operated machine (2004)
135,000	Total number of residences having at least one arcade games (2004)
5,000	Total number of public-access game arcades (2004)
2,000	Total number of Family Entertainment Centers (FEC's) (2004)
Video Arcade Games Industry Statistics  |  USA
$3.5 Billion	Total dollars spent by the public on coin-operated video game use (2004)
$400 Million	Total dollars spent by Golden Tee Golf players on the game worldwide (2004)
10 Million	Estimated number of people who play Golden Tee Golf  worldwide (2004)
330,000	Estimated number of coin-operated video games on public location (2004)
293,822	Number of Pac Man (and variants) coin-operated games sold from 1980-1987
100,000	Estimated number of Golden Tee Golf games on location worldwide (2004)
180 Days	Average production lifespan for a typical modern video arcade game
Pinball Machines  Industry Statistics  |  USA
$112 Million	Total dollars spent by the public on coin-operated pinball usage (2004)
$80 Million	Estimated total worldwide sales of all pinball machines (2004)
$45 Million	Estimated total worldwide sales of new pinball machines (2004)
$12 Million	Estimated total worldwide consumer sales of new pinball machines (2004)
$500,000	Estimated total worldwide consumer sales of new pinball machines (1994)
205,000	Approximate number of pinball machines produced worldwide (1980)
75,000	Highest number made for a single pinball machine  ("Ballyhoo", c1934)
45,000	Estimated number of units of pinball machines on public location (2004)
20,270	Highest number made for a modern pinball machine  ("Addams Family", c1992)
$20,100	Highest price ever paid for a single pinball machine  (Big Bang Bar, c1997)
10,000	Approximate number of pinball machines produced worldwide (2004)
4,500	Approximate number of different pinball models made since 1930
$4,400	Average price of a brand new pinball machine (2004)
$2,800	Average price of a modern used pinball machine in fully restored condition
$1,800	Average price of a modern used pinball machine (unrestored)
3,500	Average number of component parts in a modern pinball machine
2,500	Average number of machines produced for each individual pinball title
2400%	Estimated increase in consumer sales of pinball machines since 1994
1,200	Average number of screws, nuts and washers in a modern pinball machine
120	Average number of lights, bulbs and flashers in a modern pinball machine
90 Days	Average first-run production lifespan for a new pinball machine
30 Yrs	Estimated life span of a modern pinball machine
28%	Estimated percentage of new pinball machines sold to consumers
23	Number of pinball machine manufacturers worldwide (1980)
1 Year	Average amount of time needed to design a modern pinball machine
1	Number of pinball machine manufacturers worldwide (2004)
1/2 Mile	Average amount of wire needed to produce a modern pinball machine
1800's	First pinball-like games ("Bagatelle" machines) are introduced in Europe
1931	First coin-operated pinball machine introduced  ("Waffle Board")
1966	First pinball machine with digital scoring  is introduced  ("Rally Girl")
1975	First "all electronic" solid-state pinball machine introduced  ("Spirit of 76")
1976	Year the last holdout state in the nation, New York, makes pinball "legal"
1979	First "talking" or electronic speech pinball machine introduced  ("Gorgar")
1999	First pinball machine to incorporate video technology  ("Revenge From Mars")
Coin-Operated Vending Machines Industry Statistics  |  USA
$41 Billion	Total amount of all coin-operated vending industry gross proceeds (2002)
5.5 Million	Total amount of all coin-operated vending machines in operation (2002)
1.4 Million	Total amount of vending machines locations in operation (2002)
Statistical Sources:  BMIGaming.com   |   PinballNews.com   |   Internet Pinball Database  |   Vending Times             Playmeter Magazine   |    Incredible Technologies   |   Stern Pinball

For an article (with pictures) on the history of pinball machines, please click here

For an article (with pictures) on the history of video arcade games, please click here